Ash Wednesday

Every day this month, one of the things on my to-do list has been "early Feb blog post."

February has 29 days this year. It's Feb. 26. This is my first post for the month.

That's not necessarily a bad thing. I'm still on a journey to learn what role writing has in my life. I keep collecting information in my mind and sometimes even in written notes and photos that I think should be shared. When it comes time to put it into a narrative ... I get stuck.

I thought I had it figured out and decided to try again, with a story for publication. But before it was finished, my life was out of balance as I tried to do whatever it took to find the words I was trying to say. And they just didn't come. After literally hours and hours of work, all I had produced was a wordy mess.

That was 3 a.m. today, Ash Wednesday.

After a about four hours of fitful sleep, I woke up. Did I mention I prayed every step of the way on this writing project? And still I prayed. What do I do now? I want to sleep, but the story still needs a little work. And I have places to go to day and chores to do in preparation for leaving with my husband on a 10-day trip with lots of business for him.

Maybe I'll finish telling about this someday. For now, I need to go to bed. I did go to the Ash Wednesday service at church. It's where I needed to be. Even when I feel like a lost child, I know God is with me. And I am grateful.